The following relates generally to the electronic countermeasure arts, the unmanned autonomous vehicle arts, signal jamming arts, communications arts, satellite navigation and communication arts, law enforcement arts, military science arts, and the like. It finds particular application in conjunction with the jamming and hijacking of drones, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it will be understood that it also finds application in other usage scenarios and is not necessarily limited to the aforementioned application.
Unmanned or autonomous aerial vehicles (“UAV”), more commonly known as “drones”, have become more and more prevalent in both the military and civilian context. Current, commercially available drones embody technology that was until recently, solely within the purview of governmental entities. The drones available to the civilian and military markets include navigation systems, various types of eavesdropping components, high-definition or real-time video output, long life lithium batteries, and the like. Furthermore, current civilian models may be operated by any individual, without regarding to licensing or regulation.
The propagation of civilian drone usage has resulted in invasions of privacy, interference with official governmental operations, spying on neighbors, spying on government installations, and myriad other offensive operations. Military usage of drones, including armed drones, has increased substantially as battery storage has increased and power consumption has decreased. This widespread use of drones has led to security and privacy concerns for the military, law enforcement, and the private citizen. Furthermore, drones have substantially decreased in size, resulting in smaller and smaller, while the capabilities of the drones themselves have increased. This poses a security risk for security personnel as the operator of the drone may be far away, making the determination of the operator's intent particularly difficult to ascertain.
The drones in use typically operate using multiple frequency bands, some bands used for control signals between the drone and the operator, GPS/GLONASS signals for navigation, and other frequency bands for video and/or audio signal transmissions. This use of multiple frequencies results in difficulty in effectively tailoring a jamming signal directed solely to the offending drone, without negatively impacting other, non-offensive radio-frequency devices.
Furthermore, current commercially available jammers, while illegal in some jurisdictions, are generally omnidirectional in nature. To avoid issues relating to non-offensive devices, these jammers typically are limited in radius from less than a meter to 25 meters. Those jammers having larger effective radii for signal jamming or denial require substantial power (plug-in/non-portable) or are bulky. A common problem with all of these jammers is their inability to specifically target a drone, while allowing non-threatening devices to remain operational. Furthermore, due to the distances, and heights, at which drones operate, the portable jammers currently available lack the ability to effectively jam signals that may be used by the drones. For example, such commercially available jammers for Wi-Fi or GPS will propagate a jamming signal circularly outward, rendering the user's own devices inoperable while within that radius. The unintended consequences of such jamming may cause vehicle accidents or aircraft issues, depending upon the strength and radius of the jammer being used.
In addition to the foregoing problems, current jammers lack the ruggedness associated with field operations. That is, the commercially available jammers are delicate electronics, not designed for use by soldiers in the field. As noted above, the commercial jammers currently available further utilize multiple antennae, each directed to a different frequency band. These are not ruggedized pieces of equipment, capable of being utilized in field operations by law enforcement, security, or military. The multiple antennae are prone to breakage during transport. Those rugged military or law enforcement jammers that are available are portable in the sense that they are backpack or vehicle born devices, requiring substantial training to effectively operate.
Previous attempts at hand-held or portable jammers utilized standard form-factors for hand-held weapons. However, these designs are intended to compensate for recoil as the weapon fires. Rifle form-factors typically utilize a two hand approach, with the hands being spaced apart to steady the rifle when firing. This hand placement, with the weight of the average weapon, can be tiring, particularly when holding the weapon on target. Generally, because the weapon fires so quickly, the aforementioned design does not necessarily adversely affect its use. However, with directed energy weapons, which must remain on target while active, this displacement of at least one of the hands away from the body of the operator, places considerable strain on the extended arm.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a ruggedized form factor directional drone jammer that provides a soldier or law enforcement officer with simple, targeted anti-drone capabilities. Such a jammer is portable, including power supply, and comprises a rifle-like form allowing the soldier or law enforcement officer to aim via optic, electronic or open sights at a target drone for jamming of the drone control and/or GPS signals, while preventing interference for other devices utilizing the jammed frequencies. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide a suitable form-factor that relieves arm strain while maintaining aim on a targeted drone.